


Surfin' Attitude

by mylifeisloki



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Surfer/Lifeguard AU, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-26 09:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2647604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylifeisloki/pseuds/mylifeisloki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve takes a job as a lifeguard at Rockaway Beach and Natasha turns his summer upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surfin' Attitude

When Steve took a job as a lifeguard to earn money over the summer, he never imagined he might fall for a stranger, let alone someone like Natasha.

The summer was not Steve’s favorite season, not at all. He preferred the months in between the more intense seasons; months like March and April or September and October. He liked the weather when a hoodie would suffice as far as outerwear was concerned and he didn’t ever feel like peeling his skin off in an effort to be less warm. Unfortunately, May had come and his college classes ended with a staggering row of finals that he thankfully passed with little difficulty. Thanking his science tutor and the grace of God, he’d even managed to pass Chemistry with an A-, which suited him just fine.

By the end of the month, he’d gotten a tip that they were hiring lifeguards for Rockaway Beach on Long Island. Yes, it would be a shitty commute, but as long as he had his bike, he’d be fine. Plus, they were paying way more than his job as a paper boy and he would get to actually perform a service that was a little more important than supplying people with the lottery numbers from the night before. After he took the required training, he was a certified lifeguard and showed up on his first day in his uniform- red shorts and a white tank top, also wearing plenty of sunscreen. Irish skin didn’t handle the sun that well, but he supposed he’d get used to it. Under his umbrella and surveying the beach and water below him, Steve had to admit that this seemed like a pretty sweet position. Barring any shark appearances or drowning incidents, he could basically spend the whole summer sitting around and reading. Not too shabby for some kid who hadn’t even graduated college yet and had a basically empty resume.

Two weeks in, he was beginning to realize why this job wasn’t for everyone. There were drawbacks to any position and in this one, the drawbacks amounted to exactly three things; no bathroom breaks, a litany of people asking some of the dumbest questions Steve had ever heard (Can I make a campfire on the beach? No. Do you sell beach towels here? No. Can I leave my child unattended while I go swimming? I'd prefer it if you didn't. Will you watch him? No.), and finally, the rule-breakers. The kids who would purposely do what they knew they weren’t supposed to because he’d have to get down like an idiot and tell them to piss off.

At least, they were usually kids. One cloudy day in July when it was threatening to rain, but the sky just wouldn’t open, an alert came in that told Steve to make sure everyone got out of the water. Shit. Blowing his whistle, he motioned and cleared his section of the beach just as the rain began to pour, lightening cracking through the sky with a frighteningly loud roll of thunder behind it. Warning everyone to stay back, he nearly missed the flash of red and black behind him, but a child pointed and Steve whipped around.

Riding a tumultuous wave on a slick, black surfboard was a brazen woman with fiery curls—a woman who was completely ignoring the fact that everyone had been ordered to exit the water for their own safety. Did she have a death wish? Marching over to where the tide was washing up on the beach, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “Hey!” he tried, attempting to be as loud and commanding as he could. “Get out of the water!”

Maybe she couldn’t hear him? Steve thought he’d been pretty loud, but maybe she just hadn’t noticed that she was the only one--- She turned sharply and threw him a grin. She knew, damnit. She just didn’t feel like listening. Thunder boomed again as most of the patrons ducked for cover, scurrying back to their hotels, but Steve remained right there, getting drenched as he waited for the lone surfer to get back on the beach.

She didn’t set foot on dry land, a black cuff on her ankle, and surfboard under her arm, until a full twenty minutes later. Steve was livid. “Ma’am,” he started, advancing on her immediately. “When I call for everyone to get out of the water, I mean everyone. I don’t care how much you want to surf today. The weather doesn’t shut off for our convenience.”

The woman shook out her wet curls and afforded him an expression that could only be accurately described with the word ‘unimpressed’. “Honey, I’ve got this,” she said easily, patting his arm and giving him a slick smile. “Don’t you worry about me.”

Steve was kind of at a loss for words at the moment, caught between being inappropriately attracted to this random woman and really pissed off. “It’s my job to worry about you,” he countered belatedly, turning to follow her as she walked off to retrieve her things. “If you went under, it’d be me that had to save you.”

She was smirking when he saw her face again, watching her stand her board up in the sand and grab her towel, along with a bag that probably contained her clothes- because she wasn’t wearing much. Steve had never understood why anyone would want to surf in a bikini, but it was hard to argue against it when this woman was standing there in two scraps of black fabric that were sticking to her in ways that made Steve want to either drool or draw. “I bet you’d enjoy that more than you think,” she teased, arching her eyebrows at him and smirking a little more as Steve’s jaw tightened.

“See?” she asked cockily, reaching way up to cup his chin in her hands. “You’re warming up to the idea already.” Patting his cheek rather hard, she grabbed her surfboard and was halfway to the boardwalk by the time Steve snapped out of it and ran after her.

Because he was not warming up to the idea. He’d passed warm a long time ago, when he’d first seen the way her legs flexed when she walked. “Hey,” he said again, deciding that continuing this was way more important than the fact that his shirt was now see-through and stuck to him in the most uncomfortable way. “I mean it. Next time I find you out in the water after I said to come in—“

She rounded on him and lifted her chin defiantly to look up at him. Steve liked that she was so bold and refused to admit it to himself. “You’ll do what?” she challenged, tilting her head to the side a little bit. "Are you going to restrain me, Mr. Lifeguard?"

"My name is Steve," he answered dumbly, like he was proving something by telling her his name. "And no, I won't restrain you. But I'll definitely give you a... a... another warning of some kind. A very firm warning." So there.

The smile he got in response was just this side of terrifying. "Oh, you'll give me a warning," she said smoothly, moving closer to him just as lightening flashed in the sky above them once more. "Is that what you'll do, _Steve_?"

He swallowed and blinked down at her, trying to figure out something witty. Say something. Anything. Fuck. She grinned and moved closer to him- close enough that he could look down and see her breasts just barely pressed against him. "That's what I thought," she continued, flashing him a knowing smirk. "See you around, Steve."

She stepped away and Steve felt himself let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, turning to watch her strut away over the sand. "Hey!" he shouted after a moment. "What's your name?"

Turning back towards him, she continued by taking steps backwards as she answered his question. "Natasha!" she shouted back, waving to him before she turned again and bolted for the boardwalk and the cover that would come with it. Steve remained where he was, watching her.

So. This was how it felt to have a crush.

Steve spent the next three days at work scouring the beaches for a glimpse of her, hoping to see a flash of red hair zip through the water or her smirking at him from the sand. He tried his best not to neglect his duties, but Natasha was occupying more of his attention than he’d originally thought. To be honest, he shouldn’t have been surprised.

Not only was Natasha gorgeous, all tight curves that just begged to be tested in one way or another, but she was witty, and he liked her confidence. All in all, Steve was smitten and he’d only spoken to her once. No doubt about it, he’d mess everything up next time.

His next chance came just two days later, when he caught sight of a familiar redhead paddling out on her surfboard, looking for a wave. Steve’s attention was on her and her alone, especially as she turned and stood up, riding that wave until it crashed and she came gliding back onto the beach. His fingers itched to draw her, but he couldn’t take his attention away from everyone else for that long- not that his duties stopped him from staring.

Needless to say, he was more than a little sheepish when she flipped her wet hair over and glanced up at him, immediately giving him a knowing smirk. Damnit. And she was coming over! Steve hurried to straighten out his swim trunks like an idiot, pushed a hand through his hair, and adjusted his sunglasses before he jumped down to meet her. “Hey,” he greeted, trying his best to be casual and failing on every single level.

“Hey yourself,” she answered, board tucked under her arm. “You’re looking a lot less angry than you did the last time I saw you. Less confused too, but I’m sure we can fix that.” Natasha was wearing a little more this time, at least, in the form of a black tank top and a little pair of shorts. It meant that Steve had a fighting chance at keeping an actual conversation going.

The pinched look on Steve’s face made her laugh, and Steve could feel his cheeks flushing as he reached up to rub the back of his neck. “So, uh… what got you into surfing?” Very nice, Rogers. Smooth.

“Mostly the rush,” she answered. “See, I realized I was spending all my time learning all these precise movements—I’m a dancer—and I wanted to do something outdoors, so one day I bought a surfboard and just got out there. And it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Wow. Steve hadn’t expected such an honest answer, but he was glad he’d asked such a lame question—“I mean, where else do I get to meet hot lifeguards and have summertime trysts?” Caught off guard, Steve spluttered for a moment before leaning against the base of his chair and sighing out loud.

“Do you sit at home and think about different ways to make me look like an idiot?” he asked, laughing mostly at himself. “Or does it just come naturally to you?”

Natasha tilted her head to the side and leaned closer. “A lot of things come naturally to me, Steve. Something tells me it doesn’t take much to make you look like an idiot.”

Hey. Steve scowled and was about to come back with a retort that wasn’t nearly as meaningful as he might have hoped, but he realized she was smiling and grinned back. “Watch it, missy,” he teased in return. “I can and I will physically remove you from this beach.”

She raised her eyebrows at that, planting her board in the sand and stepping closer to him. “Is that a promise? Because I think I might like being manhandled by you, Mr. Lifeguard, sir."

Steve went pink, a rosy blush moving up from his neck to his cheeks until it hit the tops of his ears. "Oh. Well, I didn't really m-mean.."

Taking pity on him, Natasha smiled and lifted her leg to tug the black band off her ankle. "Can I sit with you?" she asked, glancing up at Steve's now vacated seat above them. "Seems like you have a nice view."

Honestly? He wasn't sure he was allowed to do that, but at the moment he couldn't really bring himself to care all that much. “Sure,” he answered. “Just give me your hand, and put your foot there...” Before he could finish, Natasha had given him an unimpressed look and quickly scaled the base of the chair so she could plop down in his seat, slightly off to one side. “Or you could just ninja your way up there,” he muttered, following suit and sitting down beside her. Their thighs were pressed together and Steve leaned back a bit so his broad shoulders didn't wind up making her uncomfortable.

“I was right,” she said, looking out over the water. “You've got the best view.”

Steve was silent for a moment while he watched her, fighting down the urge to touch her hair now that it was softening and drying into wild curls. He should ask her out. He should definitely ask her to have ice cream with him on the boardwalk or... something. Maybe he should ask her to dinner? Too formal, right? Coffee! But did people go out for coffee when it was as hot as it was?

“Like what you see, handsome?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Steve met Natasha's eyes and outwardly cringed. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I didn't mean to stare.”

She smirked and leaned closer to him, even settling a hand on his thigh-- it was enough to make Steve glance down at it and back up at her like she was a shark instead of a really pretty girl. “Didn't you?” she countered smoothly, looking at his lips for a moment and moving closer and closer until their noses were nearly touching. “Do you want to learn how to surf?”

What? Steve blinked and thought about it for all of three seconds before nodding along. “Yeah. My shift is over in twenty minutes,” he explained, unsure of whether or not this would count as a date and not particularly caring either way. Steve would get to spend time with Natasha, so he was just fine with whatever she wanted to call it.

She smiled and lifted a hand to lightly trace her fingertips over his jaw. “I can wait.”

Swallowing hard, Steve nodded and gave her a lopsided smile, leaning into her touch only a little bit because he just couldn’t resist. A tourist standing at the base of the chair and shouting up to Steve snapped them out of their moment and the blond sighed. “If I’m in the water and I take off my bathing suit, does it count as public indecency?”

Sometimes working there made Steve question the fate of humanity. “Yes,” he answered succinctly, trying not to look at the man below him like he was a complete idiot.

The guy wandered off grumbling to himself and Steve groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “Seriously?” he laughed. “Why would you want to take your bathing suit off in the water anyway? Why would you want your dick just flopping around where animals could possibly latch on or sting you or--?” He laughed again, shaking his head because he was just about done with people being ridiculous.

To be honest, he nearly forgot that Natasha was there and watching him, her head tilted to the side in amusement. “What are you, twelve?” she teased, shaking her head at him.

Steve grinned and straightened up, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll have you know that I’m a very mature twenty one year old,” he said proudly. “Besides, what are you? Fifteen? You’re about as short as some of the kids around here.”

Natasha looked shocked, like she hadn’t quite expected him to actually have a sense of humor and be so bold as to tease her back. “Hey,” she protested, poking him in the center of his chest. “I’m not that short.”

“But you kind of are,” he teased further, even daring to reach out and place his hand on top of her head. “You’re tiny all around.”

Glaring up at him, Natasha seemed to consider her options for a moment before boldly shifting and planting herself right in his lap. Steve went quiet, she grinned victoriously. “But you’re not,” she said easily, laying her hand on his chest and squeezing a pec- much to his humiliation. “You’re probably not tiny _anywhere_.”

Damnit. How was she saying all that without even batting an eyelash, without blushing at all? And damn it all to hell, Steve had no idea what to say. “I—Um—Yeah?”

She leaned closer again, even daring to part her lips and just brush them over Steve’s and oh, God, he was going to get hard in public if she didn’t st---

“Twenty minutes is up,” she murmured. Luckily, that was just as his relief stopped at the base of the chair and looked up at them, muttering something about pretty boys and how this wasn’t an opportunity to get laid. Steve carefully let Natasha slide off him and went down first, watching her climb down after him and grab her board. “Let’s go rent one for you.”

She stalked away and Steve gave his replacement a sheepish smile before bolting off after her. They rented a board- blue, because he refused to get the neon green one- and Natasha insisted that he put all his stuff with hers and follow her into the water. He pulled off his shirt first, but Steve was right there alongside her—right up until the moment she was paddling over the waves. “C’mon, Steve,” she taunted back, turning around and sitting up on her board quite some distance away. “Don’t tell me you’re scared.”

Huffing indignantly, Steve got onto his board and started paddling out to meet her. “I’m not scared,” he muttered to no one in particular, eventually reaching Natasha and positioning himself beside her. “So,” she began. “What you do is wait for a wave, meet it, and then stand up to ride it out.”

Steve gave her a look. “Really? That’s it? That’s all the training I get?” Natasha grinned dangerously at him just as the water under them started to swell. Oh, God. He was going to die. Swearing a blue streak in his head, Steve did what he could to follow her vague instructions, but all he got was a mouthful of water and a wave crashing over him. Fuck.

When he surfaced, Natasha was sitting on her board again—and laughing so hard that seawater wasn’t the only thing making her face wet. “You should have seen your face,” she teased, leaning back and nearly losing her balance at the last second, which only made her laugh harder.

Despite his glaring as he tried to get back onto his board, Steve found the sound of her laughter very soothing and decided that looking like an idiot was worth it if she laughed again. When she calmed down, Natasha paddled closer to shore and moved a little closer to him. “You’ve got to balance before you can do anything else,” she explained. “So jump up and stand on your board, feet spread apart, arms out.”

Now, that was better. Steve sighed and readied himself, eventually hopping out of the water and planting his feet on his board, which slipped right out from under him and sent him crashing back into the water. Again, he surfaced to laughter. She was trying to muffle it this time, but Steve splashed her a little and shook his head as he tried again. He lasted… a little longer, but soon enough, he was comically falling into the water again. This time, he readied himself and stayed underwater, swimming under their boards and coming up on Natasha’s other side.

Without taking time to think about it, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her off her board so she was just as wet as he was. And it was his turn to laugh, because she surfaced with her hair hanging over her face and spluttering in surprise. “You’re such an ass,” she laughed, shoving his shoulders with both hands and only making him laugh a little louder.

“You look like a very cute, wet rat,” he snorted, shaking his head as he turned around to retrieve his board. What he didn’t see was Natasha following him.

A second later, she jumped up and locked her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his waist as well and nearly dragging him back into the water. “How do you like the wet rat now?” she teased. Unfortunately for her, Steve couldn’t stop laughing long enough to do anything about it, so she stayed there, all wrapped around a giggling blond lifeguard while their boards drifted towards the shore. They made quite the spectacle, he imagined.

“You’re insane,” he got out eventually, turning his head as much as he could. To his surprise, she met him halfway and pecked him right on the lips. When they parted again, he raised his eyebrows and smiled. “What was that for?”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Like it or not, you’re actually kind of cute,” she countered, finally letting him go and swimming after her board faster than he could follow. That didn’t stop him from catching up to her once they were on dry land, eventually overtaking her and turning so they were face to face.

“You didn’t let me answer you,” he said simply, giving her a wide smile and leaning down so they were nearly eye-to-eye. “You’re kind of cute too.” With that, he kissed her right on the lips again, lingering there just a moment before pulling away. He winked, laughing at how stupid he was being, and turned around to head back to their stuff.

Steve figured that if she followed, he had a real shot here. If she went back into the water, he was done. Not turning back, he headed to where their things were resting and lodged his board in the sand before sitting down---

\---and she followed suit a second later, sitting beside him and nudging his shoulder with hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <33


End file.
